Hyouhakuzai: sono Iya Aijin ひょうはくざいそのいやあい
by Zaphodiop
Summary: The feudal nation of Hyouhakuzai is torn in two in the war between the countries of Hueco Mundo and Seireitei, and the only ones to end it are an apothecary's hotheaded daughter and a young lord from Seireitei. Too bad she hates his guts! Hitsukarin AU
1. Prologue

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**Hyouhakuzai: sono Iya Aijin**

**ひょうはくざいそのいやあい**

**Prologue**

**痛烈 別れ**

**Tsuuretsu Wakare**

* * *

**"A single flower petal brushes against my skin.**

**I don't want to believe our romance was a mistake…"**

**—Stereo Pony; Hitohira no Hanabira**

**Bleach Ending 17**

* * *

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, but I do own any OCs lucky enough to appear. ^-^_**

* * *

_Seven years ago…_

"_Nii-sama, please don't go!"_

_"I'm sorry, but I don't have a choice! Look, please don't cry, Yuzu…"_

_"Come along, dear."_

_"Thanks, Mom, I can't stand to see her cry."_

_"I know…"_

_"Ichi-nii, you idiot! Why do you have to go?"_

_"I told you and Yuzu, Karin, I have no choice! The King…"_

_"I don't give a damn about the king! I…I j…just want my brother to be safe at home!"_

_"I don't want to leave either, but the King needs me in this war with…"_

_"I DON'T CARE!!!"  
"K…Karin!"_

_"I…I…don't want you to d…die, Ichigo…"_

_"Karin, please! Please stop crying! I need you to be strong and look after Mom, Dad and Yuzu. Be strong, Karin, they need you, and…so do I…"_

_"Ichi-nii…"_

_"Shh…I must leave now. Remember, Karin, be strong…be strong…"_

* * *

_"Be strong…" That's what Ichi-nii said before he left. It's been seven years since I last saw him, and I wonder each day if he'll ever come home. Please, nii-san, hurry..._

Karin Kurosaki sighed while gazing out the window of her comfortable, medieval home in the village of Karakura Towne. "Damn it," she cursed, anger flaring in her blood. When will this stupid war ever end? She closed the book she was pretending to read and stood up. Man, she needed to play some soccer to relieve her pent-up stress! She quickly walked up the stairs to the bedroom she shared with her twin sister, Yuzu, and started to change into her soccer clothes.

Karin was relieved to get out of the horrid dress her mother made her wear today. Sure, it was simple, but she still always felt the need to wear thin pants underneath so she wouldn't be embarrassed while enjoying her day. After all, it was rather awkward to jump over a fence and flash the whole village. Let's just say she learned that from experience and had to go through a week of wolf-whistles from the local Lotharios. Karin shuddered at the memory and quickly made her way out the door and towards her secret soccer pitch.

* * *

When she arrived at the hidden glen outside of town, Karin immediately started kicking around her soccer ball. She relished in the exertion she brought upon herself and soon forgot about the earlier, painful flashback. Soon it began to rain. Karin didn't know why, but she hated the rain. Maybe it's because it happened during the rain.

* * *

_Water poured from the heavens like crystalline teardrops as eleven year old Karin Kurosaki kicked her worn, leather ball about the yard of a large, yet comfortable, house. Inside, her family sat in the parlor discussing something that the young girl was trying not to think about at the moment._

_"I'm telling you to think of your sisters, Ichigo," came a woman's voice._

_"I know, Mother, but I can't," responded her desperate son._

_"But why, Ichigo, why can't you stay here safe and sound!?"_

_"I just can't…"_

_"I'll believe that when you give me a better reason than 'I just can't'!"_

_"Look, I can't stay because he is telling me to go fight in this damn war!"_

_"H…him!?"_

_"Yes, him…"_

_"No...it…it's not true!"_

_"Yes, Mother, it is…"_

_"I…Isshin!"_

_"I know, Masaki, I know, but there is nothing I can do. What he says goes."_

_"Oh no…" Karin paused in her dribbling as she heard her mother start sobbing. Rage filled her. Sure, she didn't know who "he" was, but whoever "he" is, "he" was going to pay for hurting her parents and brother! Suddenly, she heard her father call._

_"Karin, Yuzu, please come here, we have something urgent to discuss!" Karin sighed; she knew that the news was not good at all. Dread filled her stomach as she entered, dripping, into the parlor. Yep not good; her mother was sobbing, her usually cheerful father was sullen, and her older brother was grave. Silently, they waited for Yuzu to join them._

_When her twin finally showed, Karin gulped in nervous anticipation of the bad news. Once Yuzu was seated next to her mother and trying to comfort her, Isshin began to relate Ichigo's information._

_"Karin, Yuzu, your brother will be gone for a little while" Isshin started out slowly, trying to word this carefully, "and we don't know when he'll be back."_

_"Where's Onii-san going?" Yuzu asked worriedly._

_"Well he's…"_

_"He's going to fight in the war," Karin cut in angrily, clenching her teeth._

_"What? No!"_

_"I'm sorry, Yuzu, but I…"_

_"Nii-sama, please don't go!"_

* * *

Karin loosed a frustrated, feral scream, and kicked the soccer ball with every ounce of strength she had stored after seven frustrating years of war. However, she missed the ratty old net she was aiming at, and the ball went soaring off into the woods, crashing through the brushwood. A variety of many song birds took flight in terror of the speeding demon as is tore through the brambles. Karin cursed violently. Not only did she miss the net, but she lost the stupid ball too! This really was not her day.

Karin took a deep, calming breath, and took off after her wayward sphere. This was tricky because every single branch was trying to grab at her onyx hair and simple clothing. At least she didn't have to wear a dress in her sanctuary, or she would never get anywhere.

Karin cursed again after about ten minutes of careful searching, but no ball. The rain was really picking up now, pouring buckets in fact, and it was getting dark quickly. What the hell happened to the daylight? It wasn't even noon yet! Aha! Finally, she found the black and white soccer ball at the base of some tree being strangled by thorny vines. She gingerly picked it up from its nest amongst the razor sharp briars, and headed back to the pitch. Karin knew she'd have to go home now because it was too dark and wet to play some more. So much for venting, she realized grumpily as she plodded through the growing muck towards home. What a lousy day, but, little did she realize, this would be her best day for a long, long time.

* * *

For as long as anyone can remember, the nation of Hyouhakuzai has been torn asunder. For one hundred years, Seireitei and Hueco Mundo, Hyouhakuzai's two strongest countries, have been at each other's throats. In between these two titans, the peaceful little country of Rukongai is situated. The gentle Humans of this agricultural-based nation would side with neither the vicious Arrancar of Hueco Mundo, nor the proud Shinigami of Seireitei, preferring to merely trade with both. However, these two Leviathans did not want to trade with Rukongai's weak economy. No, they wanted its lush, fertile farmlands for themselves.

The people of Rukongai were given a choice. Either they would join the bloodthirsty barbarians of Hueco Mundo, or they would join the corrupt bureaucracy known as Seireitei. The people decided that they wanted nothing to do with either nation, for they deemed neither as good as the other; they refused to comply with any negotiations/demands. Thus, Seireitei and Hueco Mundo decided that the winner of a war would be the one to get Rukongai, and they've been at a bloody feud ever since. Rukongai has also been split in two, with half being occupied by Seireitei, and the other half by Hueco Mundo. However, the current King of Hueco Mundo, King Barrigan, has been negotiating with the King of Seireitei, King Yamamoto, in order to make an alliance. This alliance is to be formed by the marriage of one of King Yamamoto's thirteen lords to one of King Barrigan's many nobles. Finally, there will be peace in Hyouhakuzai, but at whose cost? What cost?

And so, our story begins…

* * *

**_A/N: Woohoo, first chappie! I know, I should be working on my other stories, but I've been dying to do a Hitsukarin! I hope ya'll enjoy this one, despite it being AU and all. I've had this little baby floating around me noggin for a while so I hope it turns out okay. ^-^ And sorry that this is so darned short, but, hey, it's the prologue!_**


	2. Kapitel Eins

**Hyouhakuzai: sono Iya Aijin**

**ひょうはくざいそのいやあい**

Chapter One

済み成婚

Sumi Seikon

* * *

**"**_My husband and I have never considered divorce... murder sometimes, but never divorce…__"_

—_Unknown_

* * *

**_Disclaimer: Bleach is not mine; I could not afford to buy it off Tite Kubo. Drat…Song's also not by me. Some Irish gal wrote it a long time ago. BTW, heads up, really long flashback!_**

* * *

_But Black is the color of my true love's hair._

_His face is like some rosy fair, _

_The prettiest face and the neatest hands, _

_I love the ground whereon he stands._

Masaki Kurosaki sang gently to herself as she prepared lunch for her family. She expected her husband, Isshin, to be home shortly from work at the Kurosaki Apothecary, and Karin should also be on her way back from wherever she skulked off to. Yuzu, of course, was busy running her lovely dress and flower shop, and wouldn't be home for quite some time. Masaki smiled to herself as she continued chopping up some Mitsuba to add to her thick, delicious stew.

_I love my love and well he knows _

_I love the ground whereon he goes _

_If you no more on earth I see, _

_I can't serve you as you have me._

Next she moved on to chopping some leeks. Once that was done she moved onto seasoning with rosemary and thyme.

_The winter's passed and the leaves are green _

_The time is passed that we have seen, _

_But still I hope the time will come _

_When you and I shall be as one._

Now she added some basil and bay leaves to the soup along with some steamy rice and various vegetables.

_I go to the Clyde for to mourn and weep, _

_But satisfied I never could sleep, _

_I'll write to you a few short lines _

_I'll suffer death ten thousand times. _

After that, Masaki added oregano, sage, and some zesty lemongrass to spruce up the flavor.

_So fare you well, my own true love _

_The time has passed, but I wish you well. _

_But still I hope the time will come _

_When you and I will be as one._

Finally, she added the beef and sautéed onions to the concoction and placed the pot on the spit over the open fire in the fireplace to boil and simmer. Already it smelled delicious.

_I love my love and well he knows _

_I love the ground whereon he goes, _

_The prettiest face, the neatest hands _

_I love the ground whereon he stands._

At last, Masaki could sit back and relax while she waited for the stew to cook fully. She sat down on the cushioned bench in her favorite spot, the stained-glass bay window, and proceeded to just admire the beautifully crafted images in the glass.

The crystalline illustrations told a story about a young maiden. She was not like other maidens though, for she was free-spirited and did what ever she felt like doing. One day, a great dragon noticed her and her beauty and swept her away. The girl was very angry with the dragon at first, but eventually began to understand him. She found that the dragon was actually a very lonely creature, and that he was so captivated by her that he wanted to bring her home.

The girl beseeched the dragon to allow her to go home, and that a true friend would not try to keep her as a prisoner. The dragon was reluctant at first, but eventually complied with her wishes, for he found that he had fallen in love with her. It saddened the girl to leave the dragon, but she knew that it would never work out between them. The next day, the girl had gone home, and she had taken the dragon's heart with her.

Masaki smiled as she recalled the story. It had always been one of her favorites, even though she did not like the unhappy ending. She always felt sorry for the dragon, but knew he did the right thing. Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of her husband's horse, Sake, as he trotted up to the house. Why her beloved named his dark grey mare "Sake" was beyond her, but the name had stuck for ten years unfortunately for that poor old nag.

"Masaki, my most beloved angel, I'm HOOOOOOOMMMMMEEEEEEE!!!" Masaki barely stepped out of the way as her over-enthusiastic husband practically broke the door down trying to tackle her. However, she did get out of the way in time and Isshin made a new doorway in a matter of seconds.

"Isshin, dear, that's the fifth hole this week," Masaki sighed, rolling her eyes, "at this rate we'll be living in Swiss cheese!"

"I wouldn't be making holes in the wall if you didn't try to dodge me," Isshin whined pathetically, making Masaki smile.

"And I wouldn't dodge if you didn't try to jump on me in the first place," she teased, thinking she had the upper hand, and that she had won the "argument."

"Well, I wouldn't lunge at you if you weren't so darn beautiful," Isshin quipped without missing a beat. Masaki tried not to laugh at his flattering antics, but she couldn't contain herself. Giggling bubbled forth from the beautiful redhead as her husband smirked in satisfaction.

"Looks like I won this time, eh?" Isshin asked wrapping his arms around his laughing wife.

"You wish," she retorted in between snickers, "you may have won the verbal warfare, but I will utterly triumph later tonight in physical battle!"

"Is that foreplay?" Isshin asked teasingly, hugging his wife tighter. She merely smirked in return.

"Maybe…"

"Oi, could you save that for later!?" Isshin and Masaki both jumped simultaneously at the voice of their tomboyish daughter, Karin.

"Honey," Masaki greeted, trying to hide her blush pulling away from Isshin, who pouted, "You're home!" She strode over and embraced her daughter tightly.

"Yeah, yeah," Karin grumbled, awkwardly hugging back, "but can I please get out of these sopping wet clothes?"

"Of course," Masaki chirped, "and lunch will be ready by the time you get down! Or maybe I should say dinner with how dark it is outside!" Karin paused halfway up the stairs.

"Mom," she asked slowly, hoping she wasn't going to sound weird, "why is it so dark outside? This has not happened before, never." Masaki stopped a moment before answering, her bubbly mood completely gone.

"I don't know, but, you're right, this has never happened before, and I have been worried ever since it started up." Karin nodded, unsatisfied with her mom's answer, but what could she do? If her mom didn't know, then she didn't know. Masaki frowned. She really hated not being able to give her children answers, but sometimes that happened. Suddenly Isshin called to Karin, stopping the rest of her ascent.

"Wait, Karin-chan!" Karin rolled her eyes at the stupid nickname.

"What, Dad," she griped, turning around and glaring down at the eccentric man.

"I have seen this happen once before," Isshin said, his face sullen and serious, "it happened when I was in Seireitei for a business trip."

"Do you know what happened then?" Masaki asked, eyeing Isshin curiously.

"Not really, but let me explain what was going on when the sky turned dark like today, which was, oh, about eight years ago…"

* * *

_Isshin gazed in wonder at the beautiful capital city of Seireitei, which got its name from the country it governed. Tall, ivory towers seemed to glow in the afternoon sun as the alchemist rode his young mare through the sanitary boulevard. Shinigami were everywhere. The children were playing in the streets; adults were purchasing goods, or merely just chatting about the lovely weather that they've had all week. Everyone was happy._

_Isshin sighed in contentment as he approached the main government building, the Court of Pure Souls, where he would be talking to the Thirteen Lords about maybe settting up a branch of the Kurosaki Apothecary in the city. He practically itched in excitement! Sake, sensing his eagerness, broke into a smooth trot up the cobblestone streets._

_Thanks to the flea-bitten grey's pace, Isshin made it to the Court of Pure Souls within fifteen minutes. He was thrilled, for this meant he was five minutes early, which always looked good to the oh-so-punctual Shinigami. Isshin quickly dismounted his mare and, after tying to a post, ambled leisurely into the Court._

_When he entered the Court forum-chambers, Isshin had to remind himself not to gape like a fish. Before him sat thirteen imperious men and women, with their equally intimidating stewards, all of whom had a dignified air as they gazed wordlessly at the simple peasant from Rukongai. In the center of the grand chamber, the Lord of the First Kingdom and King of Seireitei, the legendary Yamamoto Shigekuni-Genryusai, lounged as he waited for the meeting to commence. Once everyone was settled down and Isshin was standing in the middle of the chamber, King Yamamoto rose to his impressive height, and cleared his throat. Everyone immediately stopped what they where doing and paid close attention._

"_Welcome to Seireitei, Kurosaki Isshin," Yamamoto began, ancient throat gravelly, yet still powerful, "what is the business that you proposed a month ago?"_

"_I," Isshin paused a moment to make sure he chose the right words so as not to offend the great king, "implore Your Majesty to consider allowing this humble alchemist to set up a branch of his apothecary in His Highness's magnificent city, so he can provide medicine to His Majesty's subjects in their time of need."_

"_Permission granted," King Yamamoto replied, trying hard not to laugh at the formality with which the man was speaking. Honestly, these peasants were so easy to frighten! He wasn't a mean codger like Barrigan; couldn't they speak a little more relaxed?_

"_Thank you, Your Majesty," Isshin bowed, looking visibly more comfortable, "well, forgive me, Your Highness, but I must get back home before the sun goes down and I'm stuck in the middle of the woods at night!"_

"_Nonsense," Yamamoto boomed pleasantly, making Isshin jump, "feel free to stay in the city for as long as you want! In fact, allow one of my Lords to offer you his home!"_

"_Thank you, Your Majesty," Isshin bowed, "I promise not to be a burden to anyone!"_

"_Good to hear," Yamamoto replied, "you shall be staying with Lord Shunsui Kyouraku. Do be warned, though, he likes to drink, a lot."_

"_Milord," Shunsui whined playfully, earning a smack from his stewardess and a chuckle from the King, "Ow, Nanao-chan, that hurt!"_

"_Good," the woman spat angrily, preparing to club him with her book again._

"_Ack, no!"_

_WHUMP!_

"_Ow…" Isshin tried not to giggle at the poor man's expense. He could tell that he would have one entertaining evening. After their mini-spat and when the meeting was adjourned, Shunsui and Nanao beckoned for Isshin to follow them. After Isshin got on his horse (whose name Shunsui absolutely adored), he rode with the eccentric Lord and his uptight stewardess towards the 8th Fiefdom and its manor._

_That evening, Isshin enjoyed a great feast with Shunsui and the entire manor. It surprised him at first that Shunsui even liked to eat with his servant, but as he got to know the sake-loving man, he realized that this wasn't surprising. Shunsui was an extremely sociable fellow!_

"_So, Isshin," Shunsui asked heartily, "what's it like back home?"_

"_It's great; I have a lovely wife and three beautiful children!"_

"_I wish I had a wife and kids," Shunsui sighed, staring pointedly at Nanao, who glared in return, "so what are your kids like?"_

"_Well, my oldest is my only son, and he's fourteen."_

"_Then he'll be a man soon."_

"_Yeah," Isshin mumbled sadly, "they grow up so fast!"_

"_What about the other two?"_

"_Well, my two daughters are both ten years old, and are the most beautiful girls I have ever seen," Isshin said excitedly, "I can only hope they'll get to marry the best men!"_

"_Now if only I had a son," Shunsui chuckled. Suddenly, a pale man with snow white hair came in._

"_I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"_

"_Not at all, Jyuushiro, come sit and hear Isshin here talk about his teenaged son and lovely daughters!" The man politely introduced himself to Isshin as the Lord of the 13th Kingdom, Jyuushiro Ukitake, and sat down nest to his old friend._

"_So please, fill me in on what I missed," Ukitake asked pleasantly._

"_Well," Shunsui said, "the man has a fourteen year old son, and two ten year old daughters!"_

"_Well," Ukitake chuckled, "your girls are about the age of my nephew!"_

"_Maybe we can introduce them someday," Isshin replied cheerfully. All three men shared hearty laugh. Suddenly, Ukitake and Shunsui halted their mirth and peered out the window, troubled. Isshin stopped too and followed their gazes. He was startled to see the sky start to darken rapidly with storm clouds. However, this was no normal storm. It made the sky a dark as night, and the sheer speed at which it formed was unnatural._

"_It's coming from my sister's house," Ukitake whispered worriedly, "something's wrong!"_

"_Let's go," Shunsui urged, completely serious for once, "Nanao, get the soldiers ready! Isshin, you can stay or come, it doesn't matter."_

"_I'll go," Isshin responded, "you might need my medicinal knowledge."_

"_Okay!" The three men darted out into the brewing storm and ran two fiefs over. They arrived at Ukitake's sister's house in ten minutes. By then, the sky opened up and allowed its fury to be released, drenching the men as they viewed the horrific scene before them. A grand manor house was burning brightly as smoked billowed from the windows. Somewhere in the house, they heard a part of the structure collapse._

"_By the spirits," Shunsui gasped in horror, "what happened!?"_

"_It doesn't matter," Ukitake shouted above the pounding rain, "we need to get everybody out, especially my sister and her family!" Isshin and Shunsui both nodded in agreement and dashed towards the burning house. Before they entered, Isshin could have sworn he saw a pair of glowing eyes from the woods, but they vanished before he could be certain. Shaking his head, he helped Shunsui and Ukitake break the door down._

"_Stay here," Isshin commanded them, "only one of us needs to go in there!"_

"_But why you?" Ukitake asked, a hint of anger dripping into his tone, "this is my family we're talking about!"_

"_Exactly," Isshin pointed out, "you might get distracted by your worries for them and make a mistake! And Shunsui knows and cares about these people too! I'm going in!" Ukitake didn't like it, but he knew Isshin had a point._

"_Very well," he acquiesced, albeit reluctantly. Isshin nodded his thanks and took off into the blazing inferno. From what he garnered from a burning family portrait, he could see that he was looking for three people, not including the servants and steward. He decided the best place to start his search would be the master bedroom. Sure enough, after dodging burning debris and blazing obstacles, Isshin heard distressed noises from the master bedroom._

_Isshin quickly tried to open the door but found that it was locked. _That's strange_, he mused as he tried breaking the door in. It didn't even budge. Trying to keep his head about him despite his growing frustration and the smoke he inhaled, Isshin searched around the antechamber he was in for something that would help. There, a suit of armor holding a great axe! Perfect!_

_With his new axe in hand, Isshin proceeded to chop down the door. Within three mighty swings, the door splinted and Isshin had to refrain from throwing up when he got inside. Blood was everywhere, staining the silk furniture and carpets and pooling on the oak floors. Judging from the debris and damage, it was clear this was not only where the fire started, but also where Isshin and the others heard the supports collapsing. Isshin coughed and tore a piece of his tunic to cover his mouth. God, it was stifling in here!_

_Suddenly, Isshin saw movement out of the corner of his eye. He cautiously slid over to the other side of the broken bed by the window. Lying on the floor was a beautiful woman with white hair and violet eyes, the last of her life ebbing away. Beside her was a man with jet black hair and brilliant turquoise eyes, but he was already dead. Isshin immediately recognized them from the painting, and he even recalled them being at the meeting. Where was the boy?_

_The woman convulsed, suddenly, and hacked up some blood, which nearly gave Isshin a heart attack. He knelt down beside her and tried to still her body._

"_Don't move, you're hurt really badly," Isshin whispered, trying to stop the blood flow. She did not look good._

"_It's…too late," she whispered, "please…find my son!" Isshin nodded and the woman smiled sadly._

"_Wait," Isshin asked suddenly, "what happened!?"_

"He _murdered us…" Isshin could get no more out of her, for she was already dead. Her son was most likely dead too, if the woman was right about a murderer. Isshin sighed sadly and covered her body with an unburned blanket. Suddenly, he heard a grief-stricken, freezing keen fill the house. Jumping to his feet, Isshin bolted off to find the source of the cry, which sounded like it came from one of the rooms down the hall. Isshin ran across a weakened catwalk, but stopped halfway when he heard the cry coming from below._

_Peering over the railing, Isshin saw a broken and bloody boy collapsed on the ground, a dead Arrancar not too far away. _Oh no,_Isshin thought as he looked at the macabre scene before him. He could vaguely hear soft sobbing and see the boy tremble from the agony. Disregarding his own safety, Isshin jumped off the catwalk and landed near the boy, rolling to break his fall, rather than his legs. Isshin quickly inspected the child to make sure that nothing was broken, before picking him up fireman style and taking off towards the exit._

_Before he could get more than four steps, however, an explosion sounded from upstairs. _What the bloody hell?_Isshin thought as he took off down a nearby corridor, the unconscious boy bouncing with each step. Suddenly, a huge ball of scarlet energy nearly blind sighted him as he barely got away in time. Smoking slightly, Isshin looked for the source of the ball of inferno. What he saw chilled him to the bone. Standing at the end of the corridor was another Arrancar, but, from what Isshin saw, this was no mere Arrancar._

"_An Espada!?" Isshin hissed, glaring at the human-like monster before him. The creature answered him by smirking. Isshin didn't know why the fact that the Espada were here unnerved him so much. Maybe it was because King Barrigan would never waste his Espada on even a Shinigami Lord. This was no ordinary assassination._

_Preparing for the Espada to attack, Isshin held up the axe he borrowed earlier in defense. The Arrancar's ice-blue eyes glistened in anticipation, but, before he could lunge, another Espada grabbed his arm, green eyes blazing angrily._

"He_said not to worry about the boy, Grimmjow," the green-eyed, black haired Espada deadpanned._

"_Whatever, Ulquiorra," the blue Espada spat at his emotionless companion, turning to leave. The one called Ulquiorra stared listlessly with cold emerald eyes at Isshin and the boy on his back before stepping through the portal his companion opened up. Isshin stood there dazed for a moment afterwards, but a shudder from the boy reminded him that he needed to get him a healer and quick._

_A minute later, Isshin burst through the door of the burning manor, and just in time too. As soon as he got out, the mansion decided then and there to completely collapse. Everyone near the building was blasted by a wave of heat as the gargantuan mass of fire burnt to the ground. Isshin panted, his adrenaline rush starting to wear off, leaving him fatigued. The last things Isshin remembered were Ukitake and Shunsui running up to embrace him, and Ukitake taking the boy gently from his arms. After that he passed out from the excitement and smoke inhalation._

* * *

"What happened to the boy afterwards?" Karin asked her father. She was wearing different clothes now, for she had quickly changed in order to hear the story.

"I really don't know," Isshin sighed, "they wouldn't tell if he survived his wounds or not. All I know is that the last time I saw weather like this, it was because something really bad happened."

"You don't suppose it has anything to do with that boy, do you?" Masaki asked, sipping the last of her soup.

"I don't know," Isshin shrugged, "maybe, maybe not." Suddenly, the door to the house opened up and one very wet Yuzu squished in.

"Hey Yuzu," Karin greeted, "How was you day?"

"Awful," Yuzu groaned, "Ms. Asano came in to try on the dress she asked me to make, but no matter what I did, she was convinced it made her look fat! Not only that, but her boyfriend was in there and he didn't make matters any better! It ended up with those two breaking up and Ms. Asano using me as a handkerchief!"

"Oh dear," Masaki sighed, while handing her daughter a bowl, "here, have some soup to warm yourself up."

"Thanks, Mom," Yuzu replied, smiling slightly. She loved her mother's cooking, for it always made her feel better. For an hour, the little family just sat in silence, waiting for the rain to let up, and each just enjoying the quiet company. Karin sighed; she would love this more if the family was whole. The absence of her brother had left a large, hollow hole in everyone's hearts. Suddenly, a few minutes later, there was a persistent knocking on the Kurosakis' front door.

"Who on earth could that be?" Masaki inquired, as her husband stood up to get the door," And in this weather too!" Every gasped when Isshin opened the door and, standing before him, was King Barrigan's personal consort.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Kurosaki," the consort stated, his emerald eyes piercing Isshin's black ones. Isshin had seen those eyes only once before, but he never forgot them. He narrowed his eyes in suspicion before returning the man's greeting.

"Good afternoon to you too, sir. How may I be of service to His Majesty?" The pale consort gave Isshin the most chilling answer he had ever heard.

"The King wishes me to speak to your daughters about an arranged marriage." Isshin tried not to scowl, but instead, answered politely:

"Well then, do come in, _Mr. Ulquiorra Schiffer_."

* * *

**_A/N: Well, the official first chapter is done! I hope I didn't lose anyone in the rather long flashback, but it will all be explained later. Heh, heh, Mr. Emospada really needs to work on his social skills! Tune in next time to watch Karin blow up at him! ^w^_**


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